Viktor
Viktor is a Vampire Elder who makes appearances in Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. He is portrayed by actor Bill Nighy. He is the main antagonist of the first and third films. Biography Viktor is a Hungarian general and warlord born sometime in the mid to late 5th century."...Viktor was a haughty, ostentatious Vampire overlord over 1,400 years old." ~ Underworld: Evolution production notes, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans production notes, Underworld: Evolution official site "Viktor is a haughty, ostentatious Vampire overlord nearly 1,000 years old." ~Underworld: Rise of the Lycans official site As he is nearing the end of his life, Marcus Corvinus, the first Vampire, comes to him with an offer: Immortality in exchange for Viktor's military expertise and army in combating the Werewolves, spawn of Marcus' own twin brother, William. When Marcus converts Viktor, the general becomes a Vampire Elder and the first Death Dealers are created from Viktor's army. In 1202, the Vampires are finally able to locate and capture William. Viktor promises Marcus he will not harm William, despite the Werewolf's uncontrollable nature. In order for him to deal with the problem without breaking his word, Viktor has Amelia, the third Vampire Elder, deal with William. Viktor and Amelia finally manage to find William and the Werewolf is captured. Viktor then betrays Marcus, giving orders to keep William as far away from Marcus as possible. Viktor locks William away in a fortress, where he cannot harm anyone or create more of his kind. However, with the Death Dealers loyal to Viktor, Marcus can do nothing. Viktor keeps two keys to William's dungeon; one under his chest, in his ribs, and the other around his daughter Sonja's neck. The relationship between the two Vampire Elders was always strained. Viktor, with Amelia's support, undercuts Marcus' power as ruler of the Vampire Coven, ensuring Marcus will never have the strength to free his brother. However, Viktor never stages an outright coup against Marcus, as he had been told that should Marcus ever die, all in his bloodline will follow him to the grave - including Viktor. To prevent this from happening, the Chain is constructed, a system in which only one Elder rules while the other two slumber. Viktor even domesticates a new breed of the Vampires' enemies, a humanized version of the Werewolves known as Lycans, which he uses as watchdogs to guard the Vampires during the daylight hours. Eventually Viktor is at the centre of sparking a new war with the Lycans. Viktor's daughter, Sonja, falls in love with a Lycan slave named Lucian and becomes pregnant. Viktor eventually discovers this and fears the blending of the species that would result should the child be born. He and the council condemn Sonja, Lucian, and their unborn child to death. Sonja is burnt alive by exposure to sunlight while Lucian, chained to the floor, is forced to watch. Before his own execution, Lucian uses the full moon to transform and escape - but not before taking Sonja's pendant with him. He then summons the Lycans and original Werewolves to battle, during which time Viktor personally duels him. Although the Vampire Elder is more powerful, Lucian makes use of Viktor's weakness, sunlight, to subdue the Elder, and stabs Viktor through his mouth. Viktor manages to survive and retreats with Andreas Tanis and the other Elders while the rest of the Vampire coven are slaughtered by the Lycans. Viktor, determined to keep the location and map of the dungeon a secret from Marcus and Lucian, slaughters the family of the man he had commissioned to design it. He spares the man's daughter, Selene, due to her striking resemblance to Sonja. He converts her into a Vampire soon afterwards. The war rages on, and eventually draws to a close after Lucian is seemingly killed by a Vampire named Kraven. After this, Viktor gathers more power for himself, making himself leader of the Old World Coven, Ordoghaz, and going so far as to alter history. In the revised version of history set out by Viktor, he, not Marcus, is the original Vampire. In time, he exiles the Official Historian Andreas Tanis, who knew that Marcus was the first Vampire. Underworld In the present day, Viktor is hibernating, not to be awakened for another 100 years. However, Selene awakens him ahead of time, convinced that Lucian is still alive and that Kraven has made a deal with him. A furious Viktor confronts his protege, condemning her to be judged. Notably, Viktor seems to be more upset by Selene's relationship with a Lycan named Michael Corvin than her claims of Kraven's treachery. Viktor orders Selene be locked away until Amelia and the Council can arrive and judge her fate. A tearful Selene begs Viktor to allow her to provide proof of her claims, but he ignores her. Later, with the help of a Vampire maid named Erika, Selene escapes the mansion, determined to find proof and to clear her name. Selene returns later that night with proof of not only Kraven's treachery, but Lucian's plan to use the blood of Michael Corvin to create a Hybrid by blending the blood of the two species. Upon learning the truth of Selene's claims, and learning that Amelia has been assassinated by the Lycans, Viktor becomes enraged with Singe, a Lycan captured by Selene. Viktor punches Singe, tearing open half of his face and killing him instantly. Neither Viktor nor Selene pay any mind to the Lycan's blood as it spreads over the floor of the Elders Chamber, unaware of the consequences that will ensue. Viktor promptly launches a full-scale assault on the Lycan lair, breaking the neck of a transformed Lycan named Raze when the Lycan attacks him. Kraven attempts to escape, but is forced to run and hide each time he sees Viktor. Viktor eventually comes upon Selene, who is in the process of biting Michael, making him a Lycan-dominant Hybird. Furious, Viktor throws Selene against a wall and knocks Michael to the floor below. Unbeknownst to him, Kraven had revealed his duplicity in the death of Selene's family just moments earlier. Selene tearfully confronts Viktor, accusing him of killing her family and murdering Sonja. Viktor protests that he has given her immortality in return, a gift far more important than her family. When confronted about Sonja's death, Viktor claims that he had only been trying to protect the species. Selene still clearly disagrees with Viktor's actions, and he abandons her so that he can find and kill Michael. Viktor is then confronted by his ultimate fear: Selene's bite has reacted with the Lycan virus and the Corvinus Strain in Michael's body, causing traits of both Lycan and Vampire to appear. Worried for Selene, Michael stands between Viktor and Selene, trying to protect her, as he believes Viktor will try to kill her. Michael attacks Viktor, initially showing speed and strength unmatched by even the Vampire Elder. Viktor’s bodyguards come to finish off the Hybrid but Selene kills each of the bodyguards, and then is thrown into a wall by Viktor. Having begun to tire, Michael is overtaken by Viktor, who begins to strangle him. Upon seeing this; Selene makes the decision to kill Viktor. She slices his head in half with his own sword, saving Michael and avenging her family and Sonja all at the same time. Viktor falls to the floor, dead, no longer a threat to Selene and Michael. Underworld: Evolution Later, Viktor's body is retrieved by the Cleaners, an organization dedicated to cleaning up after the Vampire-Lycan war led by the original immortal, Alexander Corvinus. Alexander extracts the key from beneath Viktor's flesh - only to later have it snatched by his son Marcus. Powers and abilities Viktor is a Vampire Elder, combined with his age, he is stronger than most Vampires and Lycans. *'Endurance: '''Viktor has been attacked by a hybrid many times during his battle against Michael and he is still able to fight and nearly win against him. *'Strength:' Viktor is a Vampire Elder and combined with his age gives him enormous strength. He was able to single handedly overpower a Lycan, pick Michael up and throw him through a wall, hurt a Hybrid and able to punch Michael strong enough that he flies back through the air. Viktor has also picked up a man with a single hand several feet above the ground then throwing him into a stone pilar with enough force that the man smashes it killing him. *Self-healing: Viktor has the vampric ability heal from almost any injury faster than a normal human. He was able to heal from a sword driven through his mouth and live a short time after a sword cut through his head eventually killing him. *'Speed: 'Viktor is faster than a normal human and is able leap through the air to tackle Michael. Trivia *Actor Tony Curran (Marcus) states in the production notes that Viktor is older than Marcus, meaning Marcus had only been a Vampire a few years when he turned Viktor."It also means that Viktor, who is played by Bill Nighy in a flashback sequence that begins the new film, was merely a usurper. “I was the first,” declares Tony Curran of Marcus, “but it doesn’t mean I was the most powerful. I was an arrogant young vampire; Viktor was a powerful man and when he became a vampire, being older and more experienced, he took over the leadership."'' ~''Underworld Evolution'' Full Production Notes Gallery File:Viktor1.jpg|Viktor with a glass of blood. File:Underworldrise-armor.jpg|Viktor in his armour. File:Billvik2.jpg|Bill Nighy in front of a large poster of himself as Viktor Viktorposter.jpg|Official wallpaper featuring Viktor File:Selenevsv.jpg|Viktor meeting his death by the hands of Selene References Category:Evolution characters Category:Rise of the Lycans characters Category:Underworld characters Category:Character Category:Vampire Category:Vampire Elder Category:Death Dealer